Mansell back on track with Lotus

Lotus launches luxury lifestyle concept – Lotus
Originals

Three decades after his F1 debut in a Lotus,
Former F1 World Champion Nigel Mansell OBE takes
to the track in the Lotus Type 125.

Lotus
Motorsport are delighted to announce a new
ambassador in the form of Nigel Mansell. Mansell
will also complete the Type 125 test driver
line-up as he joins fellow former F1 driver Jean
Alesi and Lotus factory driver James Rossiter to
put the F1 inspired customer race car through
its paces at Yas Marina Circuit™ in Abu Dhabi
this week

Nigel Mansell is no stranger to Lotus, over
30 years ago Lotus founder Colin Chapman spotted
him when he was racing in F3 and signed him up
as a development driver giving the future world
champion his break into the sport. Mansell
rejoins Lotus to take on another development
role and, alongside Alesi and Rossiter, he will
play a crucial role in ensuring that the Type
125 is the most enjoyable and challenging race
car experience on the market.

Commenting on the announcement Nigel Mansell
said: “I’m really looking forward to getting
behind the wheel of the Type 125, I can’t wait
to see how it handles the new circuit in Abu
Dhabi.

Returning to Lotus in this capacity brings
back a lot of memories for me. I will always be
extremely grateful to Lotus and especially to
Colin Chapman, who was so inspirational and
almost like a second father to me. I’ve been
watching the developments that have been taking
place recently at Hethel with their ambitious
race and road car projects with great interest.
I’m really delighted to see that Lotus is back
where it belongs competing with the best in the
top echelons of motorsport.”

Nigel isn’t the only member of the Mansell
family to be welcomed into the current Lotus
Motorsport fold. Mansell’s two sons, Leo and
Greg received their Lotus debut just over a week
ago as they formed part of the team that took on
the gruelling Dubai 24 hour race, the team had a
spectacular first outing in the new Evora GT4
Endurance race car, with a great performance
resulting in a third place podium finish for the
category.

Lotus Director of Motorsport Claudio Berro
said: “We’re very pleased to have Nigel on board
for the test in Abu Dhabi, he brings a wealth of
experience to the team and we’re looking forward
to getting his feedback on the Type 125
experience. In addition to the test, we also
have a group of private individuals who will be
the first to drive and possible own this
incredible race car in Abu Dhabi and these guys
will be looking to the professional test drivers
for advice on how to get the most out of the car.”